


Warlocks are Better than Wizards

by Astoria Gracewell (arh581958)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, First Meetings, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Lightwood Brothers Bonding, M/M, Magnus and Max are bros, Trick Or Treat Prompts Challenge, Trick or Treating, Tumblr, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 04:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8431486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arh581958/pseuds/Astoria%20Gracewell
Summary: It's All Hallow's Eve. What's a clueless young Shadowhunter to do when babysitting his Mundane-fascinated younger brother? Go Trick-or-Treating, of course! They never know whose door they'll knock on next!





	

**Author's Note:**

> **HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2016!!!** Since I haven't been too active in this fandom, I've decided to write this sweet little tidbit. It was-- _was_ \--supposed to be a first-meet at a Halloween party type of thing but Max popped into the picture and I couldn't resist a little Lightwood brothers' bonding time~ So here ya go~ I hope you like, and please do comment~ 
> 
> This is beta read by the awesome Neefah~ Thank you so much and Happy Halloween, love~

Admittedly, Halloween wasn’t the worse of the holidays. There was Easter and Thanksgiving, Father’s and Mother’s days, Valentine’s and even Super Bowl Day. No, scratch that, maybe the last one wasn’t _that_ bad. Holidays were a dime a dozen in varying levels of obscurity from humorous to downright ridiculous.

Max _loved_ Halloween.

Alec, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

“I don’t get it.” The eighteen-year-old Nephilim frowned at a plastic werewolf mask. “Mundanes don’t know about weres, right? And, to those that do, they should know that this is just plain absurd. Werewolves don’t look like half-man-half-human hybrids. They’re man _and_ wolf. Man then wolf—or—or—or whatever. Just not _this_.”

Max picked up the mask beside it—a killer clown mask. “It’s kinda scary. Right?” He asked, rotating it upside-down with a frown. “I don’t get it. How’s a clown supposed to be scary?”  

The 31st of October this year was one of Alec’s rare nights off. With Robert and Maryse on official Clave business in Idris, Jace and Isabelle volunteered to do the patrols. It was up to Alec, the oldest, to take care of little Max while the rest of the Shadowhunters went out to play. He didn’t at all mind watching over his little brother.

Alec put the mask down with a frown. Born and raised under strict Clave traditions, he was a stranger to the mundane holiday. It was like any other night in the Shadow World—find monster, kill monsters, go home and take a bath. Most of the time, it was also one of the most confusing nights in the whole year with people overcrowding the streets.

“So what are we supposed to do now?”

In reality, Max loved _the idea_ of Halloween because neither he nor Alec had any real experience celebrating the commercialized Samhain ritual.

“I think you’re supposed to wear the masks on your face…?” Alec wrinkled his nose at the smell of the plastic. “Urgh. It’s disgusting. Why don’t you just dress-up as one of your manga-characters, Max? Isn’t that easier than going through _all this_.” He pointed to the mountain of costumes items on display.

Max frowned. “But  Alec, those are for Cosplay not Halloween! Halloween is supposed to be scary! I can’t be Goku on Halloween! He’s a good guy! Why can’t you just help me pick one, please? Please, Alec? It’s only for this year! Jace liked tricking the kids too much last year and next year Izzy will be busy baking her pumpkin bars—blech. It’s my last chance before I get my runes!”

How could Alec resist the world’s cutest puppy-dog pout?

“Alright, alright,” Alec acquiesced, “we’ll buy you a... uhh…” he glanced around the costume shop until his eyes fell on a simple black robe with a dark red patch on the left pocket. “How about a wizard? You know, with the pointy hats and sticks that they point at people, like the septology that you love reading. What was it again?”

“You mean Harry Potter?” Max’s eyes grew in excitement. “Alec you’re a genius! Wizards are for Halloween too ‘cause girls dress up as witches all the time. I saw it on TV!”

Alec laughed. “Alright, Max, let’s go buy your costume then let’s go trick-or-treating.”

The streets of New York were overflowing with people just as Alec had predicted. All the kids—and some of the adults—wore different kinds of costumes ranging from sparkling pink fairies to sparkly vampires from the trashy teenage romance books that Izzy liked to read. Alec still didn’t understand what the whole fuss was about. They could buy candy from any store. Why would they purposely walk around all night in drab?

“Over there, Alec!” Max pulled Alec into a lesser-known backstreet.

“Are you sure those people are participating, Max? There aren’t that much decorations here like the other buildings.” Located in the middle of a deserted back-alley, the building that Max pointed to looked old and run-down. If it weren’t for the multitude of dim lights coming through dusty windows, it would have looked abandoned. Alec thought it seemed familiar—maybe he passed it on previous patrols.

“Of course!” Max insisted. “It’s _Halloween_ , Alec, everyone’s got to join Halloween, right? We can just knock on their doors and ask for candy! Besides, they’re having a _party_! There’s got to be candy there.”

Alec rolled his eyes, giving up. “Fine, but you’re knocking on the door, not me.”

Max and Alec go up rickety steps leading up the second-floor landing, then knock.

“WHO DARES DISTURB THE HIGH WARLOCK OF BROOKLYN?” A voice boomed, coming from the intercom.  

Alec paled. He _knew_ there was a reason why the place was so familiar. It was the home of one Magnus Bane, as the self-introduction already explained. Maryse asked Jace to ask Magnus for his services on a case before but they were rudely rebuffed. They never thought to ask again, enlisting Elias for help instead.

“Max,” He cautioned, “I think we should leave this house alone.

“Trick or treat!” Max yelled at the top of his voice at the buzz. “Please give us candy!”

“WHAT?” The voice boomed again.

“It’s Halloween! I said _trick or treat_! You’re supposed to give us candy!”

“Max!”

Loud thunderous footsteps came from behind the door. Alec carefully stepped in front of Max. He knew of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and the games that the rumored cat-eyed man liked to play. There was no way in hell that he would subject his brother to that.

The door swung open.

“I—” Alec tried to say but Magnus cut him off.

“A Nephilim,” said Magnus, sneering at the word. “What are you doing in _my_ home, Shadowhunter? Don’t you have some demon that needs slaying. I’m sure there’s plenty around. It’s All Hallow’s Eve. The dead are walking among us.”

Alec couldn’t speak in front of the most handsome man he’d ever met. He heard of Magnus’ good looks from Isabelle and some of the other girls at the institute. Angels, he heard it from a couple of hushed locker room whispers from boys as well but he never thought he’d feel exactly what all those rumors entailed—the outside air spiked in temperature.

“Well?” Magnus asked, crossing his arms. The sequined black long-sleeves clung to his toned biceps and stretched across his taut chest. “I suppose you’re old enough to speak.” He lifted one of his neatly trimmed eyebrows and his eyes—Raziel, his eyes—had thin black slits for irises like a cat.

Alec’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Max pushed his way through Alec’s blockage. “ _Trick or treat_ ,” he emphasizes, eyes ablaze with the annoyance of a child kept away from his candy. “How many times do I have to say it? Aren’t you supposed to give me candy?” He frowned, turned to Alec with a dejected gait. “This isn’t fun. I _hate_ Halloween. It’s confusing. Maybe we should just go back home.”

When Max appeared, Magnus’ whole demeanor changed.

“Oh, hello,” he said, kneeling to Max’s height. “I didn’t know this Nephilim had a _warlock_ friend. Warlocks get free candies here all the time. Warlocks are much more cooler than wizards ‘cause they can do _this_!” He snapped his fingers a purple wizard hat-shaped lollipops appeared in his hand. “Here you go, young Warlock.”

“Woah! Cool!” Max’s eyes widened. “You’re a real warlock! That was awesome! Warlocks really are cool! Alec! Alec!” He turned to his brother with a large grin. “Did you see that? He just snapped then _poof_ candy appeared in his hand like magic! Wait, he’s a warlock—it _is_ magic! They never show us real magic in the Academy! Mr. Warlock can you _poof_ something else?”

For a second, Alec thought that Max overstepped some kind of Downworlder boundary or something. He shifted on the balls of his feet, readying to get Max out of the way at any second. But then, Magnus grinned—his eyes narrowed down into slits—and winked Alec’s way.

“My name is _Magnus Bane_ but I prefer High Warlock of Brooklyn.”

“Please, Mr. Magnus, can you _poof_ something else? For Alec too?”

“Max, I—Magnus, I don’t—”

Magnus touched his finger to Alec’s mouth. Alec’s eyes flew to the hot flesh against his chapped lips. “Nonsense, _Alec_ , I’m positive that I can do that,” he waves his fingers around to let blue sparks fly, “but you have to learn to ask nicely. So, ask me nicely to _summon_ something for you.”

That was it; Alec snapped.

“Your phone number,” he blurted out, blushing a dark shade of red. His hands slapped over the lower half of his face, mind going a million miles a minute.

No, no, no.

He just _outed himself_.

He outed himself to a _warlock_.

He outed himself to a _hot_ warlock.

“Oh angels,” he cursed, running a palm over his hot face. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right—I mean—I—I—”

Magnus grinned like a Cheshire cat. “As you wish,” he teased, snapping his fingers. A bar of chocolate appeared in his hand, and he handed it to Alec. “So you do, speak. That’s good. Not a bad voice either. How about you ring me and let me hear it sometime, Alec? I’ll show you more of my little trick.” He licked his lips suggestively. “Maybe, if you’re good, I’ll give you a treat too.”

With that, he turned around and went back inside, leaving Alec agape.  

“That’s not fair,” Max complained, pointing to the chocolate bar. “You were tricked Alec! That wasn’t what you asked for.”

“C—come on, Max, we’ve got more doors to knock on,” Alec said, ushering them off the landing. It wasn’t until they reached the institute at nearly midnight that he unwrapped the bar of chocolate.

Lo and behold, the embossment was perfectly preserved despite spending four hours tucked in the back pocket of Alec’s jeans—it was a two-worded message. _Call me_ , it said, with Magnus’ number written nearly on the inside of the wrapper.

Maybe, just maybe, Alec could learn to appreciate Halloween a little more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope it wasn't too bad. I've been busy with RL. OMG I got my first real job!!! So, I don't have too much time to write now. Huhu. This will be one of the last few that I've been working on since I started. 
> 
> **MALEC GIFT EXCHANGE ANYONE?**
> 
> ***
> 
> As always, if you liked or enjoyed this fic, you should know what to do. **Comment/Kudos/Bookmarks** are always appreciated by this author. :) 
> 
> If you have a prompt or an idea, you can [INSPIRE ME](http://arh581958.tumblr.com/submit) on tumblr. Or [TALK TO ME](http://arh581958.tumblr.com/ask)


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